Thursday, October 12, 2006

Multiple Changing Lines and the

Inner Structure of the Hexagram

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Of all the issues that have puzzled students of the Yijing, one of the most persistent has been the question of how to work with multiple changing lines. The natural tendency, especially for the novice, is to try to interpret multiple lines as representing different aspects of a situation, but a problem with this approach becomes evident on closer examination. Some of the lines within individual hexagrams are contradictory. Various ideas have been proposed to allow for these contradictions to coexist, but the methods used tend to be awkward and improbable. Ultimately, in attempting to make multiple lines compatible an opportunity is missed to explore the Yijing more deeply.

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If given the proper attention, however, contradictory lines provide a strong indication that only one line is relevant for responses that have multiple changing lines. For example, in the 48th hexagram each line employs the image of a well in various states of usefulness. There will, of course, be different views of what the well represents. Even so, if it is recognized that there is only one well, then naturally it cannot be in two different states at the same time. The contrast between the first line, in which the well is unused and in disrepair, and the situation at the fifth line, in which the well provides cool, clear water, is readily apparent. A similar example is found in the 50th hexagram, the vessel. The fourth line shows a vessel that is damaged and unstable, while in the sixth line the vessel is complete and finely crafted. Clearly, these are distinct situations and attempting to view a combination of these differing statements as one answer is like looking through a lens that is not properly focused--the images and meanings tend to blur and diffuse.

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Readers who are aware of this may still feel that it's necessary to consult all the lines that are changing for fear that they would be discarding some significant piece of information if they did otherwise. However, the confusion that often arises from this style of interpretation is too great to continue following this practice.

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This leaves the problem of identifying the relevant line. Inquirers may rely on their own ability to read the lines and discover which one resonates best with their circumstances, or they can use some technique that will help sharpen the focus. A variety of methods for selecting a single line have been proposed in the past, but none have proven satisfactory either because they produce erroneous results, or because they seem somehow incomplete and arbitrary. What has been lacking is a method for selecting a line that is based on a detectable, underlying pattern.

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By careful reading of the text, and correlating the oracle's responses with the inquirer's circumstances, eventually the pieces of the puzzle can be brought together, and an underlying pattern emerges which corresponds to a recognized structure within the hexagram.

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Nuclear Trigrams

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Many students of the Yi are familiar with the various hexagram features, line positions, arrangements and sequences, etc., and much has been written about how these contribute to the interpretation of the text. Unfortunately, many questions remain unresolved. One of these unresolved issues concerns the nuclear trigrams, and this is largely because their attributes and associations do not seem to offer much towards improving the interpretation of a response. The primary trigrams seem to have a more obvious and useful connection to the text, so the question has been how these additional trigrams might prove valuable to the diviner.

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The nuclear trigrams are comprised of lines 2, 3 and 4 for the lower nuclear trigram, and lines 3, 4 and 5 for the upper nuclear trigram. Lines 1 and 6 are not included because they are positioned at the periphery of the situation represented by the primary hexagram. This leaves lines 2, 3, 4 and 5 as the heart of the 'action' for the situation, with lines 1 and 6 representing the time just before and just after, respectively.

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4ggggggg0

4ggggggg3

4ggggggg3

0ggggggg3

ggggggg

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This unusual, overlapping structure seems to have been accepted almost without question, and most of the attention has been placed on the attributes of the trigrams. Nonetheless, this 'hidden' structure holds another possibility--it can be understood as representing a subtle progression or gradation from the position of the outer lines to the inner lines. Since the hexagram lines are often described as 'moving' from bottom to top in a kind of time sequence, this perspective suggests that for changing lines there is another kind of movement, and the structure of the nuclear trigrams enables the visualization of this progression. Viewed in this way, a changing line can be evaluated according to its position within the hexagram. With the addition of several other key elements, it becomes possible to determine a method that can be employed for a variety of changing line combinations.

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Method

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In regard to their priority, lines 1 and 6 are at the lowest level, proceeding next to lines 2 and 5, and finally lines 3 and 4, which can be thought of as representing the peak of the 'action' for the situation. These lines at the center of the hexagram, sometimes referred to as the 'two of man', also stand at the transition point from the lower trigram to the upper trigram, and this is where the greatest turmoil and struggle is often encountered.

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Consideration must also be given to the fact that the changing lines are within two primary trigrams, and the position of the lines can shift the emphasis from one trigram to the other. The upper trigram, in which the lines are associated with the ruler and heaven, has priority over the lower trigram, in which the lines are associated with the earth and those of lower rank, so that if there are an equal number of changing lines in each the lines of the upper trigram have precedence. Priority is given to the lower trigram if it has a greater number of changing lines. One important exception exists for this shifting of emphasis--because line 6 is considered to be the conclusion of the situation represented by the hexagram, it is only consulted if it is highlighted alone.

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A few examples will help to illustrate this approach.

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gggrggg

gggcggg

ggggggg

gggrggg

gggcggg

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A hexagram with changing lines at the second and fifth place has one changing line in both upper and lower trigram. Since the upper trigram has priority in this case, the focus is on the fifth line.

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gggrggg

gggcggg

gggcggg

gggcggg

gggcggg

gggrggg

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A hexagram with changing lines at the first and sixth place shows an equal number of changing lines in both upper and lower trigram, but because line 6 represents a conclusion the focus is on the first line.

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gggcggg

gggcggg

gggcggg

gggcggg

gggrggg

gggrggg

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Changes at the first and second line--the focus is on line 2.

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gggcggg

gggrggg

gggrggg

gggcggg

gggcggg

gggcggg

..

Changes at the fourth and fifth line--line 4 is the relevant line.

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gggcggg

gggrggg

gggcggg

gggrggg

gggrggg

gggcggg

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Changes at the second, third and fifth lines--the focus is on line 3.

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gggcggg

gggcggg

gggcggg

gggrggg

gggrggg

gggrggg

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All lines of the lower trigram changing--the focus is on line 3.

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gggcggg

gggrggg

gggrggg

gggrggg

gggrggg

gggcggg

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Changes at the second, third, fourth and fifth lines--line 4 is the relevant line.

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This method of evaluating the lines can be applied to responses that have two, three and four changing lines.

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A response that has five or six changing lines requires a different and somewhat more direct approach. Study of the diagrams reveals structural relationships between hexagrams that at first appear dissimilar. On closer examination connections can be found that enable the diviner to understand certain aspects of a situation on a deeper level, but this often requires a slight shift in perception. The patterns created by five or six changing lines present this kind of situation. A single stable line in the midst of five changing lines draws the focus to the stable line, just as a single changing line is highlighted next to five stable lines.

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Six changing lines can be considered as an equivalent of the response that has all stable lines in that all six hexagram lines are in the same state. None of the lines are highlighted, so this indicates a return to the hexagram statement or judgment as the relevant line of text. The first two hexagrams include an additional line for an answer that has all lines changing, and this is perhaps because these hexagrams represent such special situations that it was necessary to add another line for this possibility.

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Identifying the relevant line becomes a simple procedure using these techniques, and inquirers will find that focusing on a single line allows them to concentrate on understanding the oracle's response without feeling frustrated by multiple lines.

Wednesday, October 11, 2006

Originally, I intended to present some ideas about the Yijing through a standard website, but I found that a blog could be constructed much more quickly, so for now this will do nicely. Also, this format has the flexibility to allow me to easily cover subjects other than the Yi. For the present, however, I will focus on the ancient and venerable oracle. Before posting, I asked the Yi about this blog and the answer I received was hexagram 58 with all stable lines.